10 Major Flaws With WWE's Current Booking Methods
WWE have all the puzzle's pieces, but no idea how to put them together.
WWE are in an odd place at the moment.
The company is generating more revenue than ever before and their position atop the market is unassailable - but profit margins, TV ratings, and interest levels are down. They're healthy, and not in any immediate danger, but still vastly underperforming.
The bulk of these problems arise from the product itself. WWE might have one of the most talented rosters they've ever assembled, but this certainly isn't reflected in their recorded output, and the promotions's TV shows and pay-per-views continually fail to live up to the standards fans rightly expect from such a phenomenal group of performers.
This isn't the wrestlers' fault, but the company's. WWE's booking mechanisms are utterly broken. Their autocratic control over every minute detail has created a sterilised environment with little suspense or drama, in which storylines are rarely resolved satisfactorily, almost everything feels like a retread, and the creation of major new stars is borderline impossible.
It's a massive shame, because while there's still plenty of enjoyment to be had from the current product, the company could be doing so much better in this department...
10. Win One, Lose One
Ask the average WWE fan what they think the biggest factor contributing towards the company's inability to create new stars is and there's a strong chance they'll say "50/50 booking."
They'd be right.
There's no such thing as momentum in WWE anymore. Long, winning runs are almost completely unheard of, because whenever a wrestler scores a big victory, they're inevitably struck by a loss a week or two later, rendering the win pointless. This leaves them with no chance of pushing forward, and little hope of ever becoming a genuine star.
Strong, dominant pushes work, and we need only look at Braun Strowman's success to prove this. Sure, not everyone is suitable for this type of monster push, but WWE could definitely stand to benefit from booking wrestlers on lengthy winning runs more often, rather than curbing their progress in Bray Wyatt-esque fashion.
In trying to push everyone at once, WWE have succeeded in pushing nobody at all. They've created an environment where no one truly stands out, and everyone feels roughly on the same level. Unfortunately, Triple H's bullish, defensive response to the criticism suggest that this destructive pattern will continue long after Vince McMahon's leadership comes to an end.